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The New Romantic

Play trailer 2:29 Poster for The New Romantic 2018 1h 22m Romance Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
63% Tomatometer 30 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Blake Conway, an aspiring journalist, hopeless romantic and college senior, is terrified of graduating. In order to escape her looming post-graduation fate, which includes student debt and zero romantic prospects, she becomes a sugar baby. As she documents the adventure in the hope of winning a journalism award with a generous cash prize, she sets out on a quest to figure out if society is right to judge these women and if her own self-worth comes with a price.
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The New Romantic

The New Romantic

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Critics Consensus

The New Romantic doesn't quite achieve the level of storytelling sophistication it aspires to, but Jessica Barden's performance elevates this enjoyable rom-com with a twist.

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Critics Reviews

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Sofia Barrett-Ibarria Bitch Media 03/11/2021
Sugar-baby stories themselves, however, need to evolve to reflect the reality of who and what real sugar babies are. Go to Full Review
Kevin Crust Los Angeles Times 11/13/2018
The New Romantic follows a very familiar arc, but the path is certainly a pleasant one, thanks to Barden's naturally ebullient performance. Go to Full Review
Teo Bugbee New York Times 11/09/2018
Mirroring its green protagonist, "The New Romantic" presents an image of sophistication while playing with ideas that are out of its depth. Go to Full Review
Richard Crouse Richard Crouse 03/01/2021
3.5/5
A promising feature debut from Stone who, as director and co-writer, that both embraces and rejects the typical romantic comedy formula. Go to Full Review
Edward Boxler Cultured Vultures 10/30/2019
5/10
The New Romantic relies too much on rom-com clichés, even when it's trying to subvert them. It's not a bad movie. It's just confused and oversimplified, failing to provide any unique insight into the complexities of contemporary romance. Go to Full Review
Sara Clements Fishnet Cinema 04/13/2019
3/5
Carly Stone's feature directorial debut The New Romantic pays homage to classic love stories by exploring its protagonist's passion for idealized Hollywood romance. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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01/24/2021 An examination of relationship dynamics under the guise of a college journalism column; from hook-ups to seemingly transactional relationships; Jessica Barden shows very good range, innocence and pluck See more 11/06/2020 Like something written in an undergrad creative writing course. And as all undergrad creative writing courses, it couldn't help but deep throat me with the theme. I've been to churches that were less preachy than this film. Yes, The acting was decent. Yes, The filmography was decent. But the script slow, self-righteous, and raucous. You can only polish crap so much. See more 11/03/2020 Jessica Barden's performance was perfect. I could tell while watching that she really cared about this project and her character- and now I do too. The film explores a lifestyle that more snobbish types might turn their noses at, but I really respect sex work and I think this film does sugar babies justice. But beyond that- and perhaps more importantly- it's a great coming of age story. It only falls short in the last few minutes, it felt like they needed five, ten more minutes to finish the story they were telling. See more 08/17/2020 such great portrayal of what actually goes on in sugar dating. This is like a documentary and romance/comedy/real life-portrayal movie. More people should shed light on the imbalance between the power between men and women including in sugar dating. It truly is prostitution these days, and men are getting spoiled by exploiting young girls who don't know the scene until like the main character, after their soul gets crushed. so great - love the movie! the ending was equally reflecting of the conclusions that sugar babies in real life come to, such great acting and storytelling. if you picked up that i condone sugar dating then you misread what i wrote. See more 08/06/2020 Feminism has come SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO far! See more 04/11/2020 While some of you may be reading this in hopes that it's another film where girl falls in love with guy, you'd be sadly mistaken. This isn't your average every day love film. It features an edge that most films in this category tend to lack. It has something for everyone whether it be comedy, romance, and most of all that little bit of raunchyness that some may crave. Now while some may be totally put off all together by a girl finding what romance is all about in her own unique and struggling way, it has it's charms. The main actress of the film also known for her role in The End Of The F****** (Jessica Barden), portrays a columnist who writes about her experiences in romance. Although a rough start for her writing career and her column on the brink of death, she eventually learns to have amazing adventures which eventually takes her column to the "Talk of the town" or as a writer would say, interesting. What sets this film apart from the rest is it's unique approach and take on romance. This isn't your average love story. The crazy adventures will take you on a romantic ride wanting you to know more about what is really going on in her head. What will she do to find the truth to romance? Is this even about romance or to write a good story? At the end of the day, this films quirky charms and creative storyline with it's interesting take on romance leaves the audiences intrigued and invested. While this film doesn't pull at your heart strings, make you fall in love, or turn you into a hopeless romantic. Overall, you're probably wondering whether it's worth a watch or a skip. If I haven't convinced you that a movie which has a line that says "what are you talking about, I can't afford Uber Eats" and references romance in a way that probably most of us haven't experienced I would say Yes. I highly recommend this film for all the reasons mentioned above but also because sometime's one just needs an escape from the harsh reality of real romance. Grade: C+. See more Read all reviews
The New Romantic

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Movie Info

Synopsis Blake Conway, an aspiring journalist, hopeless romantic and college senior, is terrified of graduating. In order to escape her looming post-graduation fate, which includes student debt and zero romantic prospects, she becomes a sugar baby. As she documents the adventure in the hope of winning a journalism award with a generous cash prize, she sets out on a quest to figure out if society is right to judge these women and if her own self-worth comes with a price.
Director
Carly Stone
Producer
Jonathan Bronfman, Jason Ross Jallet, Kyle Mann, Michael Risley
Screenwriter
Carly Stone
Distributor
The Orchard
Production Co
Independent Edge Films, JoBro Productions & Film Finance, The Orchard
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 9, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 13, 2018
Runtime
1h 22m
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